Robert Recorde. Tudor polymath, expositor and practitioner of computation (Q640558)

The book is devoted to the presentation and analysis of the life and work of Robert Recorde (ca. 1510--1558). In 14 chapters divided into 3 parts (A Chronicle, `Profite and Commoditie': The Practitioners, Finale) it gives a concise chronology of Recorde's life, an examination of his published works, a description of Recorde's professional activities in the minting of money and the mining of silver, investigation of his work as a physician, his linguistic and antiquarian interests as well as his religious beliefs. A discussion of the influence of Recorde's publisher in his life is also considered. At the end Recorde's legacy to science in the 17th century and to modern computer science and mathematics is reviewed. The book should interest mainly researchers working in the history of computer science and mathematics as well as scholars of Renaissance studies. Also a general reader should find it interesting.